


The Journey’s In the Trip (Or Something Like That)

by beepbeepbitchard



Category: IT (2017), IT - Stephen King
Genre: F/M, Fluff, Hurt/Comfort, Light Angst, M/M, Multi, Polyamorous Losers Club (IT), Road Trips, Slice of Life
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-05-30
Updated: 2019-05-30
Packaged: 2020-03-30 00:23:27
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 4,518
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/19030966
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/beepbeepbitchard/pseuds/beepbeepbitchard
Summary: my contribution to the it 2 fic exchange, for @it-more-like-lit on tumblr!the losers go on a road trip, eddie has issues with his mom, mild angst ensues.





	The Journey’s In the Trip (Or Something Like That)

It had started like any other day. Stan was the first one up, and he and Mike were making breakfast for the rest of them. They always went all out—cooking for seven people was no picnic. Bill was still asleep, in the bed that was much too large now that two of his boyfriends were absent from it. Eddie was very much awake, though, and being in bed with a still-sleeping Richie was getting increasingly frustrating.

 

He was too lazy this morning to not get a piggyback ride downstairs, but it was difficult to wake Richie up. Eddie was pretty sure his boyfriend could sleep through a town-wide attack by a killer clown. So here they were, Eddie struggling while Richie blissfully slept.

 

Eddie kept poking and prodding at Richie, to no avail. “Riiichieeee,” he whined, poking at his cheek again. Nothing. He got so close to him that their noses were touching. “Riiichard, wake uuup,” Eddie singsonged, pressing a light kiss to the bridge of his nose. That got a result. Richie’s nose crinkled up and he let out a soft groan, but didn’t open his eyes. Eddie grinned at that development. With all the months they’d all been together, and all the years they’d been friends before that, Eddie would’ve thought he knew everything about them. And yet, he still found out something new every day, another little trick to make one of them happy.

 

Bill always stuck an extra brush behind his ear when he painted. Why? None of them had any idea, but it might have something to do with how, when one of them noticed, they’d pluck the brush from him and paint all over him with invisible acrylic. It was inevitable, really. He always had an amused little smile on his face when they did it, and it usually ended in the other receiving a bunch of kisses from him because he just adored it.

 

Stan loved for one of them to do up his tie in the morning before he went to work. He was perfectly capable of doing it himself, but they knew he liked to have an excuse to be close to them without saying that was what he wanted. Some of them were better at it than others—Ben and Mike, namely. Richie was by far the worst, taking eons to struggle with it until Stan gently had to take over for him. Eddie secretly thought Stan liked that the best, though. It showed Richie cared.

 

Ben adored when he received an item of clothing from any of them. A childhood of sweatshirts and sweatpants left little room for developing style, which meant he’d found the style of each of the Losers creeping into his wardrobe. The Hawaiian shirts that hung loosely on Richie’s skinny frame fit perfectly on Ben, but Richie didn’t like to share, so he got Ben one for himself after seeing how much he enjoyed it. It all kind of snowballed from there, and now all the Losers got Ben clothes in their respective styles.

 

Bev loved to have her hair played with, whether that was one of them braiding it up or just twirling curls of it around their fingers. She’d go completely pliant, pressing lazy kisses to wherever she could reach. Ben especially liked to use this to his advantage when he was too shy to kiss her out of nowhere. Bev was very aware of this, but she loved it; it just made her fall even more in love with him.

 

Mike loved to be brought breakfast in bed. Cooking for six people was fun, sure, but even with Stan’s help, it could be exhausting. So when anyone put in the effort to wake up a little earlier and make some waffles or even just cut up some fruit for him, he always appreciated the hell out of it. Eddie was guilty of that plenty. He wasn’t the best at cooking, but he liked to butter Mike up with some toast and eggs when he wanted to have date night. Mike was incredible, but he was busy, and finding time to be with him one-on-one was difficult. A little breakfast in bed seemed to make it a little easier.

 

Although Eddie didn’t like to admit it, he was thrilled when any of them gave him piggyback rides. Even Bev tried, although she had more of a difficult time with it. He was four inches taller and muscular, but she’d be damned if she didn’t try. Something about the action always made Eddie sappy and soft. He used to hate when anyone commented on or teased him about his size or his sensitivity, but since getting together with the boys, he’d learned to love both parts. Eddie was now much more openly affectionate, and he loved that his shorter stature allowed the guys to carry him with ease.

 

And now, Eddie just discovered a “thing” of Richie’s; kissing was an effective tool to wake him up. He was sure he learned it before, but his memory constantly failed him. He was convinced it was because of his mother; she had stunted his brain growth with all the medications, and now his memory was shoddy. It was a theory he’d never been able to confirm but had wondered about since he found out about the placebos. But this wasn’t a time for him to focus on that. Instead, Eddie preferred to focus on the sleepy man in front of him.

 

“Baby baby,” Eddie cooed, pecking at his boyfriend’s cheeks and forehead and nose, giggling delightedly at each little sound and scrunch of his face. “Wake up, Richard, you gotta bring me downstairs.” He pressed a kiss to his chapped lips for the first—but certainly not the last—time of the day, and like Snow White, Richie’s lashes fluttered open.

 

He looked like Snow White too—pale skin and pink cheeks and frizzy black hair fluffed across the pillow. Goofy looking Snow White, that was him. His limbs were spread out across the bed in such a way that Eddie had to contort himself just to fall asleep, and he had some dried drool on his chin. Handsomest man alive.

 

“Good morning, honey,” Eddie greeted to a still half-asleep Richie, kissing him again.

 

“Mmph, mornin’,” Richie groaned tiredly, rubbing the sleep out of his eyes. Eddie cuddled up to him more, resting his head on his chest and brushing his hair out of his face.

 

“How’d you sleep, baby?”

 

“Dreamt about your mom the whole time, so I’d say pretty good,” he drawled, grinning when he received an elbow to the side.

 

“Richieee,” Eddie sighed. At this point, he was used to it, but it didn’t make it any less gross. “Come on, babe, get up an’ brush your teeth so you can bring me downstairs.”

 

Richie pushed himself up with a little smirk. “As you wish, my liege.” He hopped out of bed and gave a little bow, passing Ben and Beverly’s room on the way to the bathroom.

* * *

  


“Ben, come on, it’ll be so fun!” Beverly pleaded, kissing all over his face in an attempt to sway him. He laughed at her enthusiasm, kissing her back softly once she reached his lips.

 

“Okay, okay,” he said finally, holding his hands up in defeat. “If they say no, though, I’ll say I had no part in this.” Ben grinned and threw back the covers, slowly getting out of bed. He had boxers on but no pants or shirt, which Bev was incredibly thankful for. He’d gotten so much more confident since they all got together and it made them endlessly happy to see it. He’d lost a little weight since high school, sure, but Bev was ever-so-slightly selfishly convinced that it was their constant doting that helped him get to the attitude towards his body Ben had today.

 

Bev stood on her tiptoes to kiss him, though she still wasn’t tall enough to reach his lips. She settled for pressing a light kiss to his left pec, making him blush. “Come on, then, Benji! Let’s go ask!” She grabbed onto his hand and tugged him out of the room. Ben laughed at her enthusiasm and let himself be led downstairs.

 

Richie caught sight of them making their way down the hallway while he was in the bathroom. “Benny Boy! Bev, my queen! C’mere an’ gimme a goo’ mornin’ kiss!” he greeted, voice muffled around the toothbrush.

 

“Ew, Rich, you’ve got toothpaste on your chin,” Bev complained, but did a little jump to kiss his cheek anyway.

 

“Thanks, babe.” Richie grinned, more toothpaste dribbling out his mouth.

 

“Bev’s right, Richie, that’s kinda gross,” Ben teased, mussing his boyfriend’s already messy hair as he kissed him on the forehead. “Better clean up quick, Bev’s got a proposition.” Richie’s eyes widened and he waggled his eyebrows. “Not _that_ kind of proposition, Richie,” Ben said, smiling even as he rolled his eyes. “Hurry up, sweetheart.” He kissed him again, this time on the cheek, before going downstairs with Bev.

 

Richie blushed. A year of being together and he still hadn’t gotten used to Ben’s petnames and soft touches. He finished up in the bathroom quickly before coming back to the bedroom. Eddie was still lying there, hand draped dramatically over his eyes.

 

“When will my boyfriend return from war?” he lamented. “It’s been decades, he must be home soon!” Eddie’s hand flopped back on the bed and he slowly opened his eyes to see Richie standing over him, rolling his eyes back so all Eddie could see were the whites. “Jesus, Rich!” he screeched, jerking up. “Don’t do that, you know that scares the shit outta me!” He clutched his heart, making Richie laugh.

 

“You’re such a cutie when you’re scared,” Richie teased, leaning down to kiss Eddie softly. “Well, you’re a cutie all the time, but still. C’mon, Spaghetti, position yourself.” He turned around, crouching low so Eddie could clamber onto his back. Once he did, Richie stood up straight, hands holding his boyfriend’s thighs firmly. “All good?” He felt a confirming nod against his shoulder and smiled. “Alright, baby.”

 

Richie made his way down the stairs slowly, for once. He didn’t wanna drop Eddie. That would not be ideal.

 

They got to the kitchen to see everyone else already there; Bill had made it down sometime earlier. “Hello, my loves!” Richie greeted happily, going around the room to collect kisses from the three he hadn’t already received one from.

 

“Good morning, babylove,” Stan responded, looking down at the stove to make sure the pancakes weren’t burning. He looked up briefly when he heard Richie approach, and a soft smile grew across his face. “Bug a little sleepy this morning?” he teased at the sight of Eddie, eyes closed as his head rested in Richie’s shoulder. Eddie nodded, pouting a little.

 

“Think someone’s feeling needy,” Richie stage whispered, earning him a weak slap on the chest. Both of them laughed. “Am I wrong?” He didn’t get a response, which made them laugh harder. He turned his head and kissed Eddie’s hair. “It’s alright, baby, I don’t mind,” he whispered, turning back to face the other man. “C’mere, Staniel, gimme a smooch.”

 

With that same soft smile, Stan cupped Richie’s cheek and brought him down into a gentle kiss. “Now shoo,” he chastised, although he was grinning. “If you wanna eat, you can’t distract me.”

 

“Anything for food—I mean you,” Richie joked as he turned around, earning himself another smack. This time, it was from Stan and on the ass. “Woo! Staniel, gettin’ rough! I love it, but wait for later, alright?” Stan rolled his eyes and turned back to the pancakes with a grin.

 

Richie went to put his boyfriend down, but he got a muffled “Mm mm” in response.

 

“Baby,” he laughed, “I can’t hold you up forever, my arms are already shaking. You can sit on my lap, how ‘bout that?” A pause. Then a sigh and a nod. “Thanks, hon.” He put Eddie down gently, kissing him on the cheek before dancing over to Mike.

 

The taller man laughed, pulling Richie into a hug as he kissed him. “Someone’s cheerful,” Mike observed, running a hand through his boyfriend’s hair in a futile attempt to detangle it. Richie poked out his tongue a bit as he grinned.

 

“And why shouldn’t I be? Birds chirpin’, sun’s shinin’, got my whole posse of sexy men and woman here. Things are great for Richie Tozier on this fine morning,” he declared, kissing Mike on both cheeks before moving to Bill.

 

He seemed to be half asleep in his chair, eyelids drooping. “Mornin’, sunshine!” Richie singsonged loudly. Bill grumbled something under his breath, most likely a curse aimed at the other. He ignored it. “Lucky you, Billiam, you get a wakeup kiss!” He crouched to be eye level with him, cupping his face before pulling him into a deep kiss. Bill protested at first simply from exhaustion, but quickly fell into it, arms looping around Richie’s neck. Bev wolf-whistled, making both of them grin. When Richie finally pulled away, he tapped Bill’s cheek. “Awake now?”

 

Bill glared, begrudgingly admitting, “Yes.” Richie smirked, pecking his lips again before going over to his chair where Eddie already sat. He tapped his hip and Eddie hopped up, barely waiting for Richie to sit down before he was plopping back down on his lap. Richie wrapped his arms around the other’s waist, resting his chin on his shoulder.

 

“So, what’s this proposition of Bev’s? If it’s not a sex thing, it better be really good,” he warned.

 

Beverly huffed. “It _is_ good, Tozier, don’t get your panties in a twist. Y’all ready?” They all looked at her expectantly. She drew it out for a bit longer, enjoying the impatient looks on their faces. “Okay, I’ll tell you.” She clasped her hands together, grinning widely. “We’re going on a road trip!” she announced, bouncing on her toes.

 

Ben laughed, putting a hand on her shoulder. “You can’t just say we’re going, honey, you’re supposed to ask,” he reminded her with a gentle kiss on the cheek.

 

Bev rolled her eyes. “Fine. May we, _pretty please_ , go on a road trip?” she simpered, clasping her hands together and batting her lashes.

 

Richie let out a delighted laugh at both the proposition and the edited statement. “Miss Mahsh, ah do believe thayt’s the peachiest idea in the whole goshdurn world!” he replied in a Southern drawl, grinning widely. His leg shook, bouncing Eddie on his lap and making him laugh.

 

“That Voice was actually better than most, Rich,” Mike observed teasingly before turning to Bev. “That’s an awesome idea, Bev,” he said genuinely. “When do you wanna go?” His hand was around Stan’s waist as he piled pancakes onto a plate, bringing both the plate and Stan over to the table. Richie grabbed one instantly, not waiting for a plate of his own. He rolled it up like a taco and stuffed it in his mouth, making Eddie groan.

 

“You’re gonna choke, bubba, it’s too early to do the Heimlich,” he complained, but he was smiling. “Let’s do it, Bev!” Stan and Bill also replied with enthusiasm, and Bev clapped her hands excitedly.

 

“Perfect! Better eat up, boys, because we’re leaving in an hour!” she announced happily.

 

The kitchen immediately erupted into chaos.

 

“Richie, stop! You’re seriously gonna choke,” Eddie chastised as Richie stuffed another pancake into his mouth to fuel up before they left.

 

“You could give me something else to—”

 

“Don’t!” Eddie’s face turned red. making Richie cackle. “Bev, why didn’t you tell us before? If you wanted us to leave so soon?” She opened her mouth to respond, but Eddie continued, “We gotta get packing! There’s not enough time!” He sounded nervous, and Stan seemed to be on the same page.

 

“We’ll have to be efficient, but we could pull it off,” Stan reasoned, twirling a blond curl around his finger absentmindedly. “No distractions—that means you two!” He pointed accusedly towards Richie and Eddie, but only Richie noticed.

 

“Staniel, I am shocked and offended that you’d ever even think such a thing!” Richie blew a kiss his way. “Don’t worry, I won’t leave you out. I’ll be a distraction for you, too!”

 

Stan wasn’t paying attention anymore, too busy mentally planning their itinerary, but Bill answered for him. “I’ll t-take his d-d-distraction, Richie.” He grinned and Richie winked at him.

 

Mike raised his hand, cocking his head. “Isn’t anyone wondering where we’re going?”

 

He was barely heard over the rest of them, but Bev responded cheerily, “The journey’s in the trip! Or something like that. C’mon, why don’t we live on the edge?” That seemed to shut the rest of them up and they all turned back to Beverly. She looked pleased with this and continued. “I mean, really. We’ve never done anything really impulsive—”

 

Eddie snorted. “I think your and Richie’s modeling career—which failed, might I add—could be considered impulsive, but go off.”

 

Bev rolled her eyes. “That was meant to fail, Eddie, that doesn’t count.” Eddie laughed again but said nothing, which she took as a cue to continue. “It’ll be a really great experience, we’re gonna have so much fun, guys! Please?”

 

They all looked at her, then at each other, having a silent conversation, then back at her. Bill, ever the leader, stood up and grinned. “Luh-let’s do it.”

 

Richie pumped his fist in the air. “Road trip!” he crowed, and they all exchanged excited glances this time.

 

“Road trip!” they cheered.

 

* * *

 

It had been two days since then, and the Losers were now stopped at a gas station in Fort Wayne, Indiana. The trip had gone mostly smoothly until then. Stan, Mike, and Ben had switched off driving in Ben’s minivan, going basically wherever they felt. There were a few small arguments about how they would sleep, but nothing major had disrupted the trip. Until now.

 

Eddie crossed his arms, huffing. “Richie, I’m not gonna pay for your cigarettes. It’s not my fault you’re broke and addicted,” he muttered, glaring out the window as Bill filled up the gas tank.

 

“Hey! I said I’d pay you back. Come on, Eddie-bear, lighten up a little!” Richie teased, reaching over and pinching his cheeks. The nickname had the opposite effect, however. Eddie’s eyes darkened and he clenched his jaw.

 

“Don’t _fucking_ call me that,” he said lowly, and stormed outside, slamming the car door behind him.

 

“Eds, wait—” Richie called, quickly realizing his mistake, but it was too late. He bit his lip. “Shit.” His head whipped around to the others, who were all watching him with tense expressions. “Should I—” he started, but Stan cut him off.

 

“I’ll go,” he said shortly, and let himself out of the driver’s seat, following briskly after Eddie. He found the smaller boy watching the slushie machine fill up his cup to the point of overflowing, sticky blue running over his hand. Stan touched his shoulder lightly, and he jumped, spilling slushie on his pink sweater. Eddie turned around then, the tears that had been forming in his eyes now spilling over in pure frustration. Stan’s expression turned soft and he pulled his boyfriend in close, trying his hardest not to grimace at the feeling of the drink seeping into his own shirt. “It’s okay, Eddie,” he whispered, stroking his hair gently.

 

Eddie’s lip quivered and he buried his face in Stan’s chest. “He knows—he _knows_ he can’t call me that,” he said bitterly, hugging the other tightly.

 

Stan nodded in agreement. “He does, but you know sometimes his mouth moves faster than his brain. I’m not saying that excuses it, though. He shouldn’t have called you that.”

 

A shuddery sigh. “I just—I _hate_ thinking about her. About what she did to me. And I’ve been able to keep my mind off her for a while now. But then he had to go and open his stupid mouth—” Eddie broke off into a choked sob, making the cashier look away from the TV. Stan shook his head, giving him a smile that he hoped conveyed _He’s fine_. The cashier raised an eyebrow, but slowly turned back to the TV.  

 

“Shh, shh, it’s okay, Bug. You know he didn’t mean it. We can stay here as long as you want, but you know he wasn’t trying to hurt you, right?” Stan asked him quietly, holding Eddie’s head to his chest.

 

Eddie nodded and stayed mostly quiet for the next few minutes, although he let out hiccupy sobs every once in a while. Stan continued to stroke his hair, whispering soft assurances. Eventually, Eddie straightened up, wiping the tears off his face with his non-slushie covered hand. He smiled shakily up at Stan. “Thank you, Stanny,” he said quietly. “Sorry for getting your shirt dirty.”

 

The taller boy smiled softly, caressing his boyfriend’s cheek. “Of course, babylove. And don’t worry, it’s Bill’s anyway.” Eddie laughed, sniffling as he reached for Stan’s hand. He took it and kissed it, smiling still. “Anyway, purple’s your color.” Stan nodded towards the stained sweater, making Eddie giggle again.

 

“I love you.”

 

“I love you too, Bug. How ‘bout we get you cleaned up and then we’ll go outside, huh? You want me to get you a new shirt?”

 

Eddie nodded, going into the bathroom after Stan kissed him and left. A year ago, he would’ve had a panic attack over a bathroom like this: grimy, the single fluorescent bulb flickering, and a stain that looked suspiciously like blood spattered on the wall. He was a little freaked, yes, and he wasn’t going to touch anything he didn’t absolutely have to, but he didn’t feel the tightness of his chest that preceded an attack. Just one more of countless ways the Losers had made his life better. They helped him to stop panicking over every little thing, to not be so obsessed about germs and sickness. Eddie still had a healthy respect for it, but not nearly as much of a fear as he used to.

 

Just then, Eddie caught a glimpse of lettering under the mirror, and leaned in to take a closer look. The graffiti there read _MW+WB_ , _EH+MM_ , and _DH+LS_ , all cramped into a messy Sharpie heart. Eddie smiled a bit to himself. Whoever these initials belonged to, he hoped they were happy. Hoped they were still together. He liked to think they were.

 

A knock on the door disrupted Eddie’s train of thought. “It’s me, babylove, open up,” came Stan’s soft voice. Eddie grabbed a paper towel and opened the door with it over the handle, smiling when he saw Stan’s shirt selection. It was one of his own, a light yellow polo.

 

“You’re a sap, Stanley Uris,” Eddie teased, but closed the door behind them both and shimmied out of his shirt. He handed the stained one to Stan and took the polo, putting it on and tucking it into his shorts. It was a little too large on him, but it was soft and smelled like Stan, so he didn’t mind at all. He noticed the other staring at him and blushed. “What?”

 

Stanley shook his head, smiling. “Nothing...you’re just cute, is all.”

 

That made Eddie blush even harder. “Shut up, loser,” he teased, pushing up on his toes to meet him in a kiss. “I love you so much,” he whispered once they pulled away.

 

Stan kissed him again with a smile. “Love you too, Bug. Now, let’s go back out to the car, yeah?” Eddie bit his lip and nodded. “Alright, come on.” The curly-haired boy took his boyfriend’s hand and led him back out to the car.

 

Richie was pacing in front of the store, running his fingers through his hair. When Eddie came out, he ran to him, but didn’t hug him, too afraid to make him more upset. “Eds, I’m so so sorry, I didn’t mean to make you upset, you know I didn’t mean it—”

 

“I know,” came the soft reply, Eddie toying with the hem of his shorts. Stan kissed him on the temple before heading back to the car, wanting to give them their moment. “It’s okay, bubba. You weren’t thinking.”

 

Richie breathed a sigh of relief, then pulling Eddie into a hug. “I’m sorry, baby. I really am. I know you don’t like to talk about her—”

 

“And I still don’t. Just forget it, okay?” Eddie looked up at him, nodding reassuringly. “I promise, Rich, it’s alright.” And to prove it, he looped his arms around his neck and stood up on his tiptoes. It was harder than kissing Stan; Richie was a lot taller than him. But Eddie managed, pulling him down a little to make up the difference. Richie could barely kiss back for how much he was smiling.

 

“Yowza, Eds! Guess I’m forgiven, then!” Eddie rolled his eyes, kissing him again.

 

“‘Course you are, I already said that, Rich,” he told him, laughing a little. “Let’s go, yeah? I wanna get far away from that bathroom.” Eddie shuddered at the memory, making Richie laugh, too.

 

“Alrighty, then! Next stop: Bitchass, Nowhere,” Richie joked, throwing an arm around Eddie’s shoulders. “A.K.A., wherever Stan decides to take us next.” He opened the door for his boyfriend, bowing low and making him giggle.

 

“Thank you, my good sir,” Eddie responded to the act, bowing as well before hopping in the car. He could tell the air was thick with tension, all of them holding their breaths. “Guys, it’s okay, I’m fine now, swear.” They all collectively let out a breath and Eddie laughed. “You guys are so not subtle.”

 

“You can’t really blame us, little bee,” Ben said amiably, reaching in front of him to hold his hand. “You can get...easily riled up.” Even as he spoke, his face was scrunched up in concern that he’d set him off. Eddie turned around and stared at Ben, and everyone sucked in a breath. All of a sudden, he burst out laughing.

 

“I’m sorry—” he wheezed. “It’s just—you called me bee—and—well—look at me!” Eddie gestured to his yellow shirt and black shorts. It was dumb, but they all found it just as hilarious, and soon they were cracking up with him. The laughter died down but Ben kissed his hand, still laughing softly.

 

“You’re the cutest, baby,” he whispered, kissing his hand again.

 

Eddie turned back around, flashing Ben a smile. “I know,” he joked. Richie grabbed onto his other hand and kissed that one, never one to be outdone. Eddie smiled at both of them. He loved all of his boyfriends so much.

 

“So where are we going, Stanley?” Bev asked, poking her head out from behind Eddie’s seat. Stan turned around and stretched to hand her the map.

 

“There’s a town on our way out of Indiana that looks kinda cute,” Stan responded, turning back and pulling out of the gas station. “It’s called Hawkins.”


End file.
